Cap structure for collapsible tubes



April`s,;1930. f/ E LQ FX 1,753,239

CAP `STRUCTURE FOR' COLLAPSIBLE TUBES Filed May 3, 1926' r ff' ff l H Patented YApr. 8, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FREDERICK Il. FOX, F WASHINGTON DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA CAP STRUCTURE FOR COLLAI?SIIBIIIIIL.l TUBES Application ledmay 3, 1926. Serial No. 106,345..

It has been heretofore contemplated toiprovide automatically fclosing valves or dis- 10 charge openings in collapsible tubes as shown by numerous prior patents and constructions made in the art which are all subject to substantially the same' disadvantages in construction and operation, as a result vof which a satisfactory operating structure for automatically closing the discharge opening or neck of a tube of this character as provided. Thesedifliculties arise from the fact that the structures of the prior art after the discharge of the desired amount of material from a tube requirex further displacement of the material which ,must be forcedback into the tube to expand the tube structure or provide a second and supplemental vdischarge which is not desired. In other cases, the devices as developed in the prior art use valve mechanisms normally closed by spring pressure Which are mounted Within the tubesand which in addition to being subject to the above disadvantages, further seldom move to closed position in view of the great amount of pressure required to displace the material back into the tube after the valve has parseated position.

' In these cases,`attention is called to the fact that this inefficient seating of the valve permits the air to contact with the material in the tube which causes it to dry and harden 40 as a result of which, the valve mechanism of the discharge will not subsequently operata material back into the tube by the controlling tially seated, and in order to move into fullyelement in engaging its seat, this requires the i expansion of the tube and enlargement thereof toward its original size and requires such spring :pressure to seat the controlling element in view of the plasticity of the material in the tube that the normal discharge operation is rendered entirely unsatisfactory.

This invention is therefore designed to overcome these disadvantages experienced by the devices of the prior art in providing a construction which Will automatically operate to close the discharge nozzle or opening "in a collapsible tube, and which does not have an after discharge or require the displacement of material back into the tube and the reformation of the same in order to seat and effect the closing operation.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an automatically operating closure for collapsible tubes Which will effectively 'seal the discharge opening in the neck "of thetube after the discharge of a desired quantity of the material" therefrom upon the release of pressure on the tube in ellecting the discharge and eectively seal the material Within the tube from contact- With the air.

A further object of the invention resides in providing an automatically operating closure device for collapsible tubes which is responsive to the pressure created on the eX- terior-of the tube to permi*- the discharge of the plastic material therefrom and which upon .release of this pressure will immediately operate to separate the discharge material from that Within the tube and ei'ectivelyseal the discharge opening.

The invention further comprehends the provision of a structure wherein the closure members for the tube automatically operate to provide a smooth exterior surface on Which the material from Within the tube is discharged so that it may be readily and con'- veniently removed for application in a Well known manner or the ends of the tube used as, an applicator to apply the discharged material after the removal of which the surface will remain substantially clean, due to the particular formation of the parts, and air Will be prevented from contacting with the material, contained in the tube so that it cannot harden and prevent the operation of the closure mechanism. A spring con-l struction is further provided which is of special design'to insure the efficient operation of the closure mechanism and which is adapted to be contained within the tube in such a manner that the plastic material contained therein will in no way interfere with the efficient operation of this especially designed spring construction, which further acts as an assembly means for the parts of the closure mechanism and the tube in order to retain the same in this assembled relation at all times.

The invention also comprehends the provision of such a construction that the invention is embodied in its finished construction with relatively few parts of simple structure which may be readily molded and machined in apparatus at present used in the art without requiring the construction and design of special machinery for the purpose of manufacturing the tubes of this invention.

' Numerous other objects and advantages recordance with this invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view through this discharge end, with the parts shown" in closed position.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view similar to Fig. 2, taken at right angles to tlie section in 2 and showing the parts in closed position. l v A Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, in which the section is taken at an acute angle from the section of Fig. 3 to illustrate the locking lug and spring construction in its assembled relation in the tube structure.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 1. v

Fig. 6 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 5 showing the parts in locked position to prevent automatic operation of the'cap.

Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view similar to Fig. 3, showing the position of the parts when pressure is exerted to discharge material from the tube.`

Fig. 8 is a perspective of the cap member. 1 indicates a collapsible tube of the type now well known in the artand used as a collapsible container for tooth paste, shaving cream andi siniilar substances which at one end is provided with a substantially non-collapsible conical head 2 from which the cylindrical neck 3 extends. In the usual construction of these tubes, the exterior surface of the neck 3 is usually threaded to receive the interiorly threaded cap. In the present invention, however, the neck is constructed of plane cylindrical form interiorly and exteriorly and at the juncture between the neck and the conical head 2 the end of the neck of the tube is formed with a transversely extending strip 4 arranged substantially diametrical in the neck and formed with the substantially cylindrical projection 5 extending axially within the neck 3 and in concentric relation therein. The end of this projection 5 is formed with a frusto-conical surface 6 for a purpose which will presently apear.

p The provision of this neck structure in the tube forms an annular or ring-shaped discharge passage for the material in flowing outwardly upon collapsing the body portion of the tube indicated at l.

The terms neck7 or.neck structure as used in the claims is to be interpreted to include not only the portion 3 but also the strip 4 provided with projection 5, in view of the fact that it is by this composite structure that the discharge passage is formed in the neck so that it may cooperate with the cap for controlling discharge of material from the tube. The terms stationary part and movable part as used in the claims refer to the neck structure above set forth and to the cap structure, respectively as fullyv illustrated and described herein.

A cap or closure member is indicated at 7 which includes a slightly rounded face 8 forming a receiving surfaceA and applying surface for the material discharged from the tube through the neck. The cap is formed with a central opening 9 of substantially the same conical'formation as thersurface 6 on projection for seating cooperation therewith inthe manner as illustrated in Fig. 2 to effectively seal the annular discharge passage in the neck against discharge of material from the tube and to prevent access of air thereto.

This cap 7 is provided with a cylindrical sleeve-like extension 10, the exterior diameter of which is constructed for a sliding tit Within the neck 3 and is of a. length substantially equal to the length of the; neck as may be seen by comparison of Figs. 2 and 3. The free end of this sleeve extension 10 is formed at diametrically opposite points with arms 11 extending in parallel relation as shown in Fig.' 3, beyond the end of the sleeve and normally positioned within the head portion of the tube. These arms are formed with slots adjacent the /end of the sleeve 10 as indicated at 12 in Fig. 8, which in the closed position of the cap on the neck 3 are adapt- `neck in e'ectively sealing the opening 9 through the cooperation of the plug extension 5 seating in said opening.

The ends of the projections 11 of the cap member are formed With openings 14 inthe end portions thereof to slidably receive the free ends 1'5 of the spring member 1 6 Which is formed with a looped central portion as -indicated at 17 in which the portion 18 is ofV-shape to provide a pivot and support for the center ofthe spring member in the socket 19 formed in the Web 4. The ends l5 of this springmember 16 are freely slidable thru the openings 14 of the cap member, and

these ends due to the resiliencyof the spring member normally tendto move the cap intoy closed position as shown in Fig. 3. j

This spring member embodies the special feature of this invention in view of the fact that it eiiiciently balances the cap in its operation to open and closed position to-permit the discharge of material from 4the tube vand does not become fouled in any manner from its location in the material Withinthe tube so as to interfere with its eiicient operation toclose the cap and prevent discharge l of the material from the tube. This spring c construction further permits the ready assembly of the parts and serves to normally prevent the detachment o f the cap from the tube, and in this sense vforms an assembling and locking member' for locking` the .cap to the tube.

.With the Atube construction above de;

scribed, it has Abeen found in practicethat the annularassagein the discharge neck and the opemng in the cap are'adapted to controlI the flow of material from thetube providing a structure in which a relatively Weak resilient member may be used to con-- stantly maintain the ca p in ,closed position except when pressure'is lexerted manually -on the exterior of the tube forI expelling a portion of the contents thereof.

The cap is immediately operative to permit the expulsion of material from the tube which is always deposited upon the surface of the cap and immediatelyupon the release of pressure or upon the termination of the compressingaction vfor collapsing the tube, the cap is moved to closed position forv efs fectively sealing the conte-nts and separating .it from the expelled portion of material at the release or termination of the collapsing action on the tube, andwhile the same is still l in the hand in the usual manner.

i he surface of the cap provides a convenient application inember for applying shaving cream to the face in the event the collapsible tube contains shaving cream or for -permitting the application of they contents of the tube expelled onto the surface in'any suitable manner for which the material may be used. This considerably improves the construction of tubes of lthis character in this -connection in addition to providing the automatic closure for cutting ofi:l the expelled 'nsl action of theeair in view` of the efficiency in the sealing of this contained material, and

that it will be immediately operative at`all-J times until the entire amount of material is fully expelled from the tube.

A further feature of the invention is the locking provisions of the extensions on the cap structure which Will effectively lock the 'cap in closed position on the tube so that in shipping the tuben or in carrying a tube of this character in a suit case or the like, should it accidentall f have pressure applied thereto, t-he cap Will e prevented from opening. A quick and slight turn of the cap Will immediately unlock the same and permit' the ready operation thereof 'in the man-ner asabove set y forth.

A further feature of the invention is in the spring structure which effectively assembles the cap on the tube, as it will be noted from the drawings that the ends of the spring members prevent the disassembly of the cap from the neck of the tube under allconditions and Yeicien-tly serves to maintain the cap in closed position ou the tube.

Having thus described claim as new is my invention, vvhatv 1.' In combination, a collapsible tube for containingY fluent material having ,a neck formed witha ring-'sha ed discharge opening,la closure cap slida ly carried by said neck and having a discharge opening in concentric relationto said ring-shaped discharge opening in the neck, 'and means forgseating the closurev cap on the neck, to close said ring-shaped discharge opening against co'mmunication with the opening in said cap.

2. In combination, a' collapsible tube for containing iiuent material having a neck formed with a ring-shaped discharge opening, a closure cap slidably carried by said neck having a discharge opening in concentric relation to the discharge opening in the neck, and meansI for normally seating the closure -cap on the neck, said neck and closure capfbeing formed for cooperation to close said v ring-shaped discharge opening, and

means for filling the`discharge opening in said cap terminating flush with the outer surface thereof in the seated-position of said i Y and normally closing said passage, and a re-l silient member extending diametrically of said neck, and engaging said neck and cap at spaced points to yieldingly retain the cap in its normal position.

4. A closure for collapsible tubes and the like, comprising in combination With the collapsible tube, a neck having an outlet passage, a cap reciprocably mounted on said neck and normally closing said passage, `a resilient member extending transversely ton said neck and engaged with the neck and cap at spaced intervals to yieldingly retain the cap in its normal position, and means for permanently retainingthe cap on the neck. .f

5.' A- closure for'collapsibletubes and the like, comprising in combination with the collapsible tube, a neck having an-outlet passage, a cap reciprocablyniountedon said neck and normally closingsaid passage, a -resilient member yextending transversely to said neck and engaged with the neck and cap at spaced intervals tol yieldingly retain vthe cap in its normal position, said cap'being rotatable relative to said neck, and means for .locking the cap against Amovement from lsaid normal position in one rotated position of the cap on the neck. l 6.l closuredior collapsibletubes and the like, comprising in combination With the collapsible tube,a neck having an'outlct pa's- `sage, a cap reciprocably mounted A on sald i neck and normally closingsaid passage, a

resilientmember extending transversely to said neckand engaged with the neck and cap at spaced intervals toyieldingly retain the cap in its normal positiong-said cap being'.

rotatable relative to said neck, and means having positiveengagernent With the cap and neck for locking said cap in normal position.

7, A'closure for collapsible' tubes compris' ing in combination With'the collapsible tube, n

a cylindrical neck, a body mounted vin the nek extending axiallytherein and forming ring-shaped discharge passage in the neck,

a cap reciprocably mounted on the neck having a discharge opening closed by said body,

and means for normally holding said cap in closed position.

8. A closure ing in combination-With the collapsible tube,

a cylindrical neck, a body mounted in the 3 cap in closed position.

for collapsible tubes, .compris- Lis-3,239

9. A closure ior collapsible tubes, compris'- 'ing in combination with the collapsible tube,

a cylindrical neck, a body mounted in the neck extending axially therein and having a surrounding dischargepassage, a cap reciprocably mountedy on said neck and normally closing said passage by engagement with said body, and a resilient member extending diametrically'of said neck and engaging the cap and body at spaced points to yieldingly retain the cap in closed position.

10. A closure for collapsible tubes, comprising in combinationwith thecollapsible tube, a neck having an-outlet passage, a cap reciprocably mounted on said neck and normally closing said passage, and aQresilient i member having a laterally extending portion engaged with a part of said neck, and another portion engaged with said cap to yieldingly retain the cap in its closed position.

11. A closure for collapsible tubes, comprising in combination with the collapsible tube, a neck havingA an outlet passage, `a cap reciprocably mounted on said neck and normally closing said passage, and a resilient member having a laterally extending'portion intermediate the ends engaged With `a part of said neck, and havingthe` end portionsv engaging said cap to yieldingly retaip said cap in closed position. y 12.,A.closure for collapsible tubes, comprising incombination With\`the.collapsible tube, a neck having an outlet passage, ay cap 13. A device of the class described having l FREDERICK 'L. FOX. 

